Spring actuated self-cleaning retractable brush or the like



Oct. 23, 1962 1 R. PEILET 3,059,250

SPRING ACTUATED SELLCLEANING RETRACTABLE BRUSH OR THE LIKE Filed Nov. 16, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. l

FIG 6 IN VEN TQR.

Lcsier E Pellet BY l Hfomeys Oct. 23, 1962 L.. R. PEILET 3,059,250

SPRING AGTUATED SELF-CLEANING-RETRACTABLE BRUSH 0R THE LIKE Filed Nov. 16, 1959 2 sheets-sheet 2 FIG. 7

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INVENTQR. .Casier E. Pelle orney United States Patent@ `Filed Nov. 16, 1959, Ser. No. 853,108 Claims. (Cl. 15-184) This invention relates to new and improved brushes and other hair-grooming devices which are self-cleaning and in which the bristles or other hair-grooming elements are retractable.

One object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved brush or similar device in which the bristles or other hair-grooming elements are mounted on a supportingrmember and are retractable through an apertured cleaning member, and in which the cleaning member and the supporting member are adapted to be moved relative to each other by a spring. l

A further object is to provide a new and improved device of the foregoing character, in which the spring is built intoa handle which extends laterally from the supporting and cleaning members.

A still further object is to provide a device of the foregoing character in which the handle is a flexible resilient U-shaped member, so as to provide a spring action between the cleaning member and the supporting member.

Another object is to provide a new and improved retractable brush or other hair-grooming device in which the brush is adapted to be held in its extended position by a locking mechanism, against the action of a spring which tends to retract the bristles or other hair-grooming elements.

A further object is to provide a new and improved device/of the foregoing character, in which the locking mechanism also limits the extent to which the bristles or the like are retracted through the cleaning member, so that the tips of the bristles will remain in the apertures in the cleaning member. l

Another object is to provide a new and improved retractable brush in whichfthe bristles of vthe brush are retractable through a cleaning member, and in which the cleaning member is formed in a plurality of relatively movable interconnected parts, the bristles being tlared and being adapted to cause lateral movement of some of the parts off the cleaning member as the bristles are retracted;

Still another object is to provide new and improved brushes of `the foregoing character, which are extremely useful and durable, yet are inexpensive and easy to manufacture.

f Further objects and advantages of the present invention will `appear from the following description, taken with the accompanying drawings, in which:

; FIG. 1 is a plan View, showingy an embodiment of the invention, comprising a hair grooming devicein the form off a currycomb.

' FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the currycomb of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6 are fragmentary elevational views showing modified spring handle arrangements for the device of FIGS. l'and 2. l

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a modied hair grooming device in the form of a brush, having a generally rectangular bristle head with flared bristles.

FIG. 8 is an elevational view of the brush of FIG. 7.

- ing member 34a.

3,059,260 Uli a`.li;uented Oct. 23, 1962 2 FIG. 11 is an enlarged elevational view of an extensible lguide member employed in the brush of FIGS. 7-10.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view, somewhat similar to FIG. 10, but showing a modified construction.

As already indicated, FIGS. l and 2 illustrate a hair grooming device in the form of a currycomb 110 havingl hair grooming elements in the form of comb plates 111, 112, 113, 114, 115 and 116 which are cylindrically curved and are mounted on a supporting member 34a. The comb plates 111-116 extend upwardly through arcuate slots 121-126 in a cleaning member 38a. Thus, the cleaning member 38a is adapted to be moved toward and away from the supporting member 34a. In this case, the members 34a and 38a are generally in the form of circular disks, but they may be rectangular, oval, 0r any other desired shape.

It will be seen that the currycomb 110 has a handle 42 which extends laterally from the supporting and cleaning members 34a and 38a. The handle 42 makes it easy to grip the currycomb 110 when it is being used.

It is preferred to provide a spring arrangement for moving the cleaning member 38a relative to the support- In this case, the spring arrangement is embodied in the handle 42. In fact, the illustrated handle 42 constitutes a U-shaped spring member which extends between the supporting member 34a and the cleaning member 38a. In its general shape, the handle 42 resembles the spring handle of a pair of tongs.

The illustrated handle 42 comprises a pair of generally parallel legs 44 and 46 which are connected together by' a semi-circular portion 48. The outer ends of the legs 44 and 46 are connected to the supporting member 34a and the cleaning member 38a. The handle 42 may be made of a ilexible resilient material, such as a suitable' plastic, metal or the like. As shown, the-handle 42 isl formed integrally with the supporting and cleaning members 34a and 38a. While the handle 42and the members 34a and 38a might be formed rather readily in one piece out of metal, it is preferred to mold these components in one piece from a suitable plastic material, such as poly-v ethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, or the like. In this way, the currycomb may be manufactured at extremely low cost.

Each of the illustrated plates 111-116 has a large num-ll =ber of generally triangular currycomb. teeth 128. Y'I 'd 1 limit the extent to which .the supporting' and vvcleaning' members 34a and 38a can move apart, one or more of the the currycomb plates 111-116 are formed with outwardly. projecting flanges 130, adapted to engage the cleaning member 38a. In the illustrated construction, the flanges A 130 are formed lon the plates 112 and 113, at diametrically.

' FIG. 9 is asectional view, taken `generally along a line oppositeY points, for engagement with opposite side portions of the cleaning member 38a. Each of the flanges 130 may be formed by bending one of the teeth 128 outwardly. It will `be seen that the ilanges 130 are adapted to bereceived in generally triangular recesses 132 formedin the upper portions of the slots 122 and- Y123. Int-his way, the flanges 130 engage the bottoms of the recesses 132 when the teeth 128 arewithdrawn-below the upper sur-face of the cleaning member 38a. Thus, the teeth 128- are guarded Iby the cleaning member 38a. f, A ,f

It will `be apparent that the currycom-b plates 111-116; are arranged in two concentric circles. The plates 111', 112 and 113 form the outer circle, while the -plates '114, 115 and 116 are arranged around the inner circle. Of course, the currycomb members may be arranged in various other suitable ways. The curryconrb plates y111-116 Imaly lbe made of metal, plastic, or any yother suitable mater1a. .Y y

When thercurrycomb is to be used, the cleaning member 38a is moved against the supporting member 34a.

A detent arrangement is provided to detain the cleaning member 38a in this position. In the illustrated construction, a detent prong or stud 134 projects outwardly from the currycomb plate 1 11. It will be seen from FIG. 2 that the detent stud 134 is at such an elevation that it will snap outwardly above the cleaning member 38a when the cleaning member is pushed downwardly against the supporting member 34a. The detent member 134 will then retain -the cleaning member 38a in this position until it is pulled upwardly with sufficient force to overcome the action of the detent member. Due to the resilience of the cleaning member 38a and the plate 111, it is possible for the detent member 134 to pass through the slot 121 when the cleaning member 38a is pulled upwardly.

It will be realized that the upward movement of the cleaning member 38a will strip any hair and other foreign material otf the currycomb plates 111-116. Thus, the currycomb plates are automatically cleaned when they are retracted through the slots in the cleaning plate 38a.

FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6 illustrate modified handle constructions which may be employed in the devices of FIGS. 1 and 2. Thus, FIG. 3 illustrates a handle 140 which is the same as the handle 42, except that the semi-circular portion 48 of FIG. 2 is replaced with an enlarged ovalshaped portion 142 which extends between the lower and upper legs 44 and 46 of the handle. It will be recognized that the vertical size of the curved handle portion 142 is greater than lthe distance lbetween the parallel handle members 44 and 46. This makes it relatively easy to squeeze the handle members 44 and 46 together when the cleaning member 38a is moved against the supporting member 34a. Accordingly, the tendency of the cleaning member 38a to `become cocked at an angle to the supporting member 34a is minimized.

FIG. 4 illustrates an arrangement which is similar to that of FIG. 3, except that the curved handle portion 142 is replaced with a portion 14211. It will be seen that the handle portion 142:1 is similar in shape to the handle portion 142, but is displaced upwardly so that it extends considerably above the upper handle member 46, but not below the lower handle member 44. Thus, the lower end of the curved handle member 142:1 is level with the lower handle member or leg 44. In the arrangement of FIG. 3, the curved handle portion 142 extends below the lower leg 44, as well as above the upper leg 46. The arrangement of FIG. 4 is similar to that of FIG. 3, in that it permits greater freedom of movement of the upper leg 46 toward the lower leg 44, while maintaining the legs 44 and 46 substantially parallel to each other.

FIG. 5 illustrates -a modified handle arrangement 146, in which the lower and upper handle legs 44 and 46 are connected together by means of a hinge joint 148, rather than being formed in one piece, as in FIGS. 1 and 2. Curved portions 150 and 152 extend downwardly and upwardly `from the hinge joint 148 to the handle legs 44 and 46. Thus, the handle legs 44 and 46 are adapted 4to swing about the hinge joint 148. To bias the handle legs 44 and 46 away `from each other, .a suitable spring 154 is arranged to act 'between the handle legs. As shown, the spring 152 is of the hairpin type and is mounted on the hinge joint 148.

FIG. 6 illustrates an arrangement in which the lower and upper handle` members 44 and 46 are connected to gether by a sliding joint 156. Thus, the inner end of the upper leg 46 is formed with a tongue 158 which extends through a slot 160 in a member 162. It will Ybe seen `that the member 162 extends upwardly from the lower handle leg 44. A coiled compression spring 164 is disposed between the lower and upper legs 44 and 46 to bias the legs away from each other. In this case, the spring -164 is tapered in form. The upper end of the spring 164 is received around a stud 166 which projects downwardly from the upper leg 46 `to retain the spring. At its lower end, the spring 164 is received within a circular retaining wall 168 formed on the lower leg 44.

In the construction of FIG. 6, the upper handle member 46 is movable downwardly and upwardly, parallel to the lower handle member 44. In addition to being guided by the engagement of the tongue 158 with the slot 160, the upper handle member 46 is guided by the engagement of the plates 111-116 with the slots 121-126 in the cleaning member 38a, as shown in FIGS. l and 2. The tapered form of the spring 164 permits it to be compressed to a great extent without interference between the adjacent coils of the spring.

FIGS. 7-ll illustrate a modified hair grooming device in the form of a brush having bristles 174 which are arranged in tufts that are outwardly. All of the bristle tufts are mounted in sockets 176 which are formed in a bristle supporting member 178. In this case, the bristle supporting member 178 is generally rectangular in form. The bristle tufts may be cemented or otherwise secured in the sockets 176.

It will be seen that the bristles 174 are -arranged in six rows 181-186, which extend longitudinally along the bristle supporting member 178. The two central rows 183 and 184 are vertical and parallel to each other. vThe outermost rows 181 and 186 are outwardly at a definite angle. It 4will `be seen that the intermediate rows 182 and 185 flare outwardly at an intermediate angle.

To provide for the iiaring arrangement of the bristles 174, the brush 172 is formed with a bristle cleaning member 188 which is made in tive segments 191, 192, 193, and 196. It will be seen that the segments 192-196 are in the form of longitudinal bars having bristle openings 198 therein to receive the tufts of bristles 174. Each of the bars 191, 192, 195 and 196 has a single row of bristle openings 198 to receive the corresponding rows of bristles l181, 182, 185 and 186. Two rows of bristle openings 198 are formed in the bar 193 to receive the parallel rows of bristles 183 and 184. The bristle openings 198 in the bars 191, 192, 195 and 196 are angled to correspond to the angle of iiare of the bristle rows 181, 182, 185 and 186, as shown to advantage in FIGS. 22 and 23.

The brush 172 is provided with a handle 200 which may be substantially the same as the handle 42 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Thus, the handle 200 comprises upper and lower flexible legs 202 and 204 which are connected together by a generally semi-circular portion 206. The upper leg 202 may be secured to or formed integrally with the bristle cleaning bar 193, while the lower leg 204 may be secured to or formed integrally with the bristle supporting member 178. It is preferred to mold the handle 200 and the members 178 and 19,3 in one piece from a suitable plastic material, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or polystyrene, which will provide the desired flexibility and resilience in the handle 200, so that the handle will act as a spring to bias the cleaning bar 193 away from the brist-le supporting member 178. The brush 172 may be provided with a locking strap 84, to hold the bristle cleaning bar 193 against the bristle supJ porting member 178 when the bristles are extended, and

to limit the extent to which the Ibristle cleaning barl 193 can move away from the bristle supporting member 178. The strap 84 extends downwardly from the outer end portion of the bristle cleaning bar 193 and is adapted to cooperate with the guide stud 72 and the hook stud 90 on the bristle supporting member 178.

The bristle cleaning member 188 is arranged so that the segments or bars 191, 192, 195 and 196 will move upwardly and downwardly with the central bar or segment 193, yet Will be free to move laterally relative to the central bar, so as to accommodate the aring of the bristles. Thus, the bars 191-196 are connected together by means of a plurality of guide pins 210 which extend laterally through the bars 191196. Aligned openings 212 are formed in the bars 191196 to receive the pins 210. lIn the illustrated construction, the brush 172 is equipped with two of the pins 210, which are disposed adjacent theV opposite ends of a bristle cleaning member 188. t

To provide for lateral movementA of the bars 191, 192, 195 and 196 relative to the central bar 193, the illustrated pin 210 is arranged to' be extensible and retractable. Thus, as shown to advantage in FIG. 1l, each pin 210 is constructed in two relatively extensible sections 214 and 216, connected together by means of a tongue and slot joint 218. It will be seen that the jointV 218 is formed by a at elongated tongue 220 which is` slidably received in a slot 222. In this case, the tongue 220 is formed on the inner end of the section 2116, while the slot 222 is formed in the inner end of the section 214. The tongue and slot joint 218 keeps the sections 214 and 216 in horizontal alignment, while providing for relative extending movement of the sections 214 and 216.

As shown, enlarged heads 224 are formed on the outer ends of the sections 214 and 21-6. Detent projections 226 are provided on the sections 214 and 216 adjacent the head 214 to'retain the sections 214 and 216 within the openings 212 in the bars 191 and 196. It will be seen that the -pin 210 is oriented so that the flat sides of the tongue 220 are parallel to the upper and lower surfaces of the bars 191-196.

As the central bar 193 is moved upwardly, the bars 191, 192, 195 and 196 are carried along by the pin 210. The flaring of the bristle rows 181, 182, 185 and 186 causes the bars 191-196 to spread apart, as shown to advantage in FIG. 10. When the .bars 191-196 are returned downwardly against the bristle supporting member 178, the bars 191-196 are moved back together, due to the downward convergence of the bristles.

lFIG. l2 illustrates a modified brush 230 in which the rows of bristles 181-186 are replaced with bristle rows 231-236, which are mounted on the bristle supporting member 178, as in FIGS. 7-11. In this case, the bristles 233 and l234 are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the bristle supporting member 178, as in the construction of FIGS. 7-11. However, the bristles 231 and 232 are parallel to each other. Likewise, the bristles 235 and 236 are parallel to each other. The bristles 231 and 232 angle outwardly to the left while the bristles 235 and 236 angle to the right.

To accommodate the flaring of the bristles 231, 232, 235 and 236, the brush 230 is formed with a cleaning member 238, which corresponds generally to the cleaning member 188 of FIG. 7, but is for-med in three segments or bars 241, 242 and 243. The central cleaning bar 242 may be the same in construction as the central bar 193 of FIGS. 7-1l. Thus, the central bar 242 has two rows of bristle openings 246, for the rows of bristles 233 and 234. In this case, the bar 241 has two rows of angled bristle openings 246 for the rows of bristles 231 and 232. Similarly, the bar 243 has two rows of angled bristle openings for the bristles 235 and 236.

In this case, the bars or segments 241, 242 and 243 are connected together by means of a pin 248 which extends laterally through aligned openings 250 inthe bars. The pin 248 may be tightly fitted into the opening in the central bar 242, so as to be retained therein against loss. The pin 248 may be slidably fitted into the openings in the outer bars 241 and 243. With this construction, the pin 248 may be in the form of a simple solid cylindrical rod.

As the bars 241, 242 and 243 are moved upwardly, the bars 241 and 243 slide outwardly away from the bar 242, due to the flaring of the bristles 231, 232, 235 and 236. As the central bar 242 is moved downwardly, the outer `bars 241 and 243 are carried along by the pin 248, and are caused to move inwardly along the pin by the downward convergence of the bristles.

The bars 241, 242 and 243 are effective to scrape hair and other foreign material oft` the bristles. In this way, the bristles are automatically cleaned as they are retracted through the bristle cleaning bars. When the bristles are retracted, the bristle cleaning bars guard the tips of the bristles, so that the brush may be carried very conveniently in a pocket, purse, handbag or the like.

Various other modifications, alternative constructions and equivalents may be employed without departing from the true spir-it and scope of the invention, as defined in the following claims and exemplified in the foregoing description. i

I claim:

l. In a hair-grooming device, the combination comprising a supporting member, a plurality of hair-grooming elements extending from the front side of said supporting member, a cleaning member movable .against and away from the front side of said supporting member, saidcleaning member having a plurality of openings therein slidably receiving said hair-grooming elements, spring means extending between said cleaning member and supporting member and biasing said cleaningmember away from said supporting member, stop vmeans on said hair-grooming elements and engageable with said cleaning member for limiting the movement of said cleaning member away from said supporting member to maintain said cleaning memberin engagement with said hair-grooming elements, and detent means mounted on one of said hair-grooming elements and engageable with said cleaning member for holding said cleaningmember against said supporting member adjacent one of said openings.

2. In a brush, the combination comprising a supporting member, a plurality of bristles extending from the front side of said supporting member, a cleaning member movable toward and away from said supporting member and having openings therein slidably receiving said bristles, said cleaning member being movable along said bristles for cleaning hair and other foreign material olf said bristles, said bristles comprising a central row extending perpendicular to said supporting member, a left-hand side row flaring outwardly to the left of said central row, a right-hand side row llaring outwardly to the right of said central row, said cleaning member comprising a central segment movable along said central row of bristles, a lefthand segment movable along said left-hand row of bristles, and a right-hand segment movable along said right-hand row of bristles, the openings in said left-hand and righthand segments being angled to correspond to the flaring angle of said leftand right-hand rows of bristles, and a plurality of pins extending laterally through said segments and connecting said segments together for simultaneous movement against and away from said supporting member along said bristles while providing for relative lateral movement between said segments to accommodate the aring of said leftand right-hand rows of bristles.

3. In a brush, the combination comprising a supporting member, a plurality of bristles extending from the front side of said supporting member, a cleaning member movable toward and away from said supporting member and having openings therein slidably receiving said bristles, said cleaning member being movable along said bristles for cleaning hair and other foreign material olf said bristles, said bristles comprising a central row extending perpendicular to said supporting member, a left-hand side row flaring outwardly to the left of said central row, a right-hand side row llaring outwardly to the right of said central row, said cleaning member comprising a central segment movable along said central row of bristles, a left-hand segment movable along said left-hand row of bristles, and a righthand segment movable along said right-hand row of bristles, the openings in said left-hand and right-hand segments being angled to correspond to the liaring angle of said leftand right-hand rows of bristles, and extensible means extending laterally between said segments and connecting said segments together for simultaneous movement along said bristles while providing for relative lateral movement of said segments to accommodate the aring of said leftand right-hand rows of bristles.

4. In a brush, the combination comprising a `supporting member, a plurality of bristles extending from the front side of said supporting member, a cleaning member movable toward and away from said supporting member and having openings therein slidably receiving said bristles, said cleaning member being movable along said bristles for cleaning hair and other foreign material oli said bristles, said bristles comprising a central row extending perpendicular to said supporting member, a left-hand side row flaring outwardly to the left of said central row, a right-hand side row aring outwardly to the right of said central row, said cleaning member comprising a central segment movable along said central row of bristles, a lefthand segment movable along said left-hand row of bristles, and a right-hand segment movable along said right-hand row of bristles, the openings in said left-hand and righthand segments being angled to correspond to the flaring angle of said leftand right-hand rows of bristles, and means interconnecting said segments for simultaneous movement along said bristles While providing for relative lateral movement of said segments to accommodate the Haring of said leftand right-hand rows of bristles.

5. In a brush, the combination comprising a supporting member, a plurality of bristles projecting from the front side of said supporting member, a cleaning member movable against and away from the front side of said supporting member and having a plurality of openings therein slidably receiving said bristles, said cleaning member being References Cited in the Iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 578,223 Eluing Mar. 2, 1897 670,254 Slater Mar. 19, 1901 878,294 Kleidmann Feb. 4, 1908 1,147,440 Roach July 20, 1915 1,169,644 Holfman Ian. 25, 1916 1,773,969 Dreyfus et al Aug. 26, 1930 2,529,927 Fisk Nov. 14, 1950 2,564,721 Raya Aug. 21, 1951 2,819,484 Fouse Jan. 14, 1958 2,923,598 Reis et al. Feb. 2, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 93,615 Germany Sept. 20, 1897 794,594 Great Britain May 7, 1958 UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE "CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent Nm 3O59,26O October 23, 1962 Lester R Pellet It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patient requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 61 lines 26 and 27 strike out "adjacent ene of said openings" and insert the seme after "'memben*l .1n line 25, same column 6ra Signed and sealed this 2nd dey of April 19630 (SEAL) Attest:

ESTON G JOHNSON Attesting Officer DAVID L. LADDv Commissioner of Patents 

